ABSTRACT
The lithium-ion battery (LIB) was invented by Sony in 1991 and has grown rapidly as the power source of choice for portable electronic devices, especially digital cameras, cell phones, and laptop computers, over the past two decades. LIBs are essential to life in the modern world. New applications such as grid energy storage and electric vehicles (EVs) require LIBs with larger capacity and longer calendar lives than those for portable electronics applications. As an important energy storage system, advanced LIB technology is attributed to the tremendous work of researchers and engineers worldwide. However, differing from theoretical research work in academic laboratories, the LIB industry pays more attention to an easier and more effective battery assembly procedure, the needs of their customers and, most important, a remarkable cost reduction. Generally speaking, three different kinds of LIBs are currently available on the market: cylindrical, prismatic, and pouch. All of them have mature manufacturing processes, especially cylindrical cells. A typical process outline of lithium-ion cell fabrication is given in Figure 5.1.
